Evaluation of slow shutdown system flux detectors in Point Lepreau Generating Station, I: dynamic response characterization

CANDU reactors are protected against reactor overpower by two independent shutdown systems: Shut Down System 1 and 2 (SDS1 and SDS2). At the Point Lepreau Generating Station (PLGS), the shutdown systems can be actuated by measurements of the neutron flux by Platinum-clad Inconel In-Core Flux Detectors (ICFDs). These detectors have a complex dynamic behaviour, characterized by 'prompt' and 'delayed' components with respect to immediate changes in the in-core neutron flux. The dynamic response components need to be determined accurately in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the detectors for actuating the shutdown systems. The amplitudes of the prompt and the delayed components of individual detectors were estimated over a period of several years by comparison of archived detector response data with the computed local neutron flux evolution for SDS1 and SDS2 reactor trips. This was achieved by custom-designed algorithms. The results of this analysis show that the dynamic response of the detectors changes with irradiation, with the SDS2 detectors having 'prompt' signal components that decreased significantly with irradiation. Some general conclusions about detector aging effects are also drawn. (author)